From the 16th to the 18th of October 2009, a course on astronomical photometry for amateur astronomers was given at Calar Alto Observatory. Using the professional facilities of the Observatory, this absolutely new initiative was conducted by Calar Alto specialists with the aim of training amateur astronomers in the basics of astronomical absolute photometry, applied to the standard measurement of the brightness of the night sky. The final goal is to constitute a wide group of people capable of contributing to international campaigns of evaluation and reduction of light pollution in Spain and Europe.

The German-Spanish Astronomical Center at Calar Alto is located in the Sierra de Los Filabres (Andaluca, Southern Spain) north of Almeria. It is operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut fr Astronomie (MPIA) in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Instituto de Astrofsica de Andaluca (CSIC) in Granada/Spain. Calar Alto provides three telescopes with apertures of 1.23m, 2.2m and 3.5m to the general community. A 1.5m-telescope, also located on the mountain, is operated under the control of the Observatory of Madrid. Planetary nebulae are sometimes called “cosmic butterflies”. In fact, their beauty and variety deserve the comparison.

For more information, please visit http://www.caha.es